This is open to any Imperial character.


Brentaal IV
The intersection of the Hydian and Perlemian trade lanes


Even in the entertainment district of Sanxi, there was no escaping the Empire. Their ubiquitous stormtroopers still patrolled infinite beats, the same as they did at the massive starports and warehouse districts. However, the officers that held the leashes of those troopers went to Sanxi at the end of their shifts to unwind, spend their credits, and take their pleasures. Sanxi glittered from a billion bulbs, shone neon from half a million signs, but it was still as much a part of the Imperial fortress world as the garrisons, ground batteries, and detention camps. The people of Sanxi, like the rest of the people of Brentaal, were subjects of the Empire, willingly or not.

In the perpetual purple glow of midnight, a line formed outside a nightclub called The Staircase, named for the ascending and descending helical stair in a column of glass that dominated the corner the club occupied. In a fittingly perverse display of exclusivity, the minders at the door determined whether each line-goer went to the club downstairs, below street level, or the club upstairs. The vast majority who tried to get in were herded downstairs into a loud, crowded zoo of a bar and dance hall. However, the wealthy, powerful, and well-connected, they were allowed to venture upstairs to a club more suited to their status.

Of course, there were other ways to go upstairs as well. Being someone beautiful was one such way.

Today, the Girl was blonde. It was achingly cliché, but blondes earned that cliché for a reason. She wore a blue dress that was so dark it seemed to turn black in shadow, but with enough shimmer to catch and coruscate the neon jungle around her. Ahead of her were two other girls, each dressed to impress. A pair of bouncers in dark suits spoke to themselves just beyond earshot, and were then spoken to by a man in Imperial greys. The cordon was opened for the stairs going down. Not quite good enough.

Nothing was guaranteed. Well, not for a girl like her. She looked around in line, settling on the person behind her who also wore an Imperial uniform. Donning a quick smile with a slight sense of urgency, she reached for one of their hands resting at their side so that they lightly clasped.

"Tell them I'm with you."

The Girl lightly squeezed hands.

"Please."